Am I Obese or Overweight?

Jan 25, 2012 by Sarinkumar

Doctor am I obese or overweight?

This is one of the frequently heard questions by a medical practitioner. I am sure you too want the answer of the same question, that’s why you are reading this article. Well you are conscious about your body weight and want to know whether your body weight is healthy or not. Cheers, you have come to the right place. Because I can make you find out whether you are obese or have normal weight or overweight.

Why you should be aware about your weight status?

A fit body is essential for health and wellness of an individual. Overweight and obesity are one of the major risk factors of many chronic diseases like high blood pressure, type II diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia, osteoarthritis, coronary heart disease, etc. As it is so do you like to be overweight or obese? No obviously. So you may do some dietary modifications or exercise to lose weight. But before that you should clearly make an awareness of the current status of your body weight.

How to find out your weight status?

The excess foods we eat are deposited in our body as fat. Depending up on the amount of fat deposition body mass is classified into overweight, obese, morbid obesity, etc. The ideal way to find out the weight status is to measure the total fat deposition. But it is very difficult and costly. So we are using a relative method called BMI calculation.

What is BMI or Body Mass Index?

BMI or Body Mass Index is a number calculated from the height and weight of a person. It accounts for the relative percentage of fat in our body. Based on the BMI value we can classify persons into different weight groups. So BMI is the simple and commonest tool used to calculate the weight status of an individual.

How do you find body mass index or BMI?

Calculating your BMI is very simple. Only you need is your height and weight. Use the BMI calculator below to find out your Body Mass Index.

Note: This calculator works only if you have java script enabled. If it doesn’t work for you, then don’t worry we can calculate it using a simple formula.

Formula: weight (in kg) / [height (in meters)] 2

Example: Weight = 68 kg, Height = 165 cm (1.65 m)

Calculation: 68 ÷ (1.65)2 = 24.98

Interpretation of your BMI

• If your BMI is less than 18.5 – you are “underweight”.
• If your BMI is 18.5 to 24.9 – you are in “normal or healthy” weight range.
• If your BMI is 25.0 to 29.9 – you are “overweight”.
• If your BMI is 30.0 or higher – you are “obese”.

Hope you have calculated your BMI from the above information. If you are overweight or obese, take necessary steps to lose weight. Long term life style changes will work good rather than short term dietary modifications. Adequate exercise and a balanced diet plan is ideal. Wish you all the best in controlling your body weight and live healthy. And I love your feed backs, please give it in the comment section below.